Unhomogenised milk: what is it & what are the benefits?

For those of us who can drink milk and enjoy adding a splash of it to our cuppas, ensure our morning Weetabix’ are swimming within half a pint of it, and/or use it to make a cheesy bechamel sauce to top off a hearty Hereford beef lasagne, the type of milk we all stock up on each week is bound to differ…

So, looking beyond the ‘whole’, ‘semi-skimmed’ and ‘skimmed’ types, what about whether it’s ‘unhomogenised’ milk or ‘homogenised’ milk? What do these terms mean and how are they different?

In this blog we dive headfirst into answering these questions:

What is unhomogenised milk?

Unhomogenised milk, or non-homogenised milk, is essentially milk that’s in its natural state (but not in its raw state).

As the name suggests it has not undergone the ‘homogenisation process’, so this type of milk contains heavier fat particles which result in the creaminess you can see at the top of bottled unhomogenised milk.

What is homogenised milk?

Homogenisation is a process that involves a specialist machine pumping the milk through small gaps at high pressure. This process distributes the fat globules within the milk which prevents it from separating so the cream doesn’t rise to the top.

The terms ‘homogenisation’ and ‘pasteurisation’ can sometimes be confused, however they’re entirely different processes. The pasteurisation process involves heating milk to 71.7°C for at least 15 seconds before quickly cooling it to less than 3°C quickly – Dairy Council. This kills off any harmful bacteria present.

You can have pasteurised milk that hasn’t been homogenised and visa versa.

Unhomogenised milk benefits

Some people prefer buying pasteurised, non-homogenised milk because it’s naturally highly nutritious, a good source of protein, and is less processed than the pastuerised, homogenised milk you’ll find more predominately in major supermarkets. However, the reasons why we choose the type of milk we consume really is down to personal preferences, perhaps due to dietary requirements and many other factors, and it’s important for us to add here that there is no right or wrong choice.

Just a stone’s throw away from our Bromyard farm shop you’ll find our neighbours, Wicton Farm, who run ‘The Wild Cow Dairy’ and the milk vending machine you’ll see here when you pop by. Their milk is unhomogenised which they say makes their milkshakes naturally creamy and delicious!

While over in Cleobury Mortimer, our friends at Mawley Milk suggest that in their opinion, non-homogenised milk tastes more natural and smoother in comparison to milk that has gone through the homogenisation process.

And if you head over to Hereford, our Copper Kettle farm shop’s neighbours, Team Merrimilk, share that if you prefer semi-skimmed milk, you can simply pour off the cream at the top of unhomogenised milk – so one bottle offers you the best of both worlds depending on what tickles your tastebuds!

What type of milk do you enjoy in your daily tea or coffee?

Have you visited either of the milk vending machines on-site at our farm shops to pick up a fresh flavoured milkshake?

We’d love to hear from you!